The Heroic Substitution
by Genkai-chan
Summary: An AU story inspired by The Big Bang Theory. Taking The Avengers cast and putting them into the situations from the hit tv show. Enjoy Bruce, Tony, Thor, Natasha, Clint, Pepper and everyone else like you've never seen them before. This is meant to be an experiment and something fun and something serious all at the same time. Who will end up with who and why? Read and Review.


**Author's note:** I had an idea to swap two of my beloved fandoms with one another. The Big Bang Theory and The Avengers. So the characters and their personas have been meshed and a plot has been hatched to mirror or mimic (sorta) them. These stories are not made to be read alongside each other but you can if you want. I love reviews and encouragement, who doesn't right? So consider the first chapter a pilot of sorts as I'm trying to get my feet when it comes to these two fandoms, they're different in obvious manners. One is about super heroes and the other has super heroes referenced but not real. So be patient with me as I figure this out but I have a feeling once I do, we will have a funny, cute, romantic, dramatic, possibly action packed story on our hands. Being a lover of Penny and Sheldon and Tony and Pepper, these pairs will be highlighted most but I will be playing with other pairs for fun as well. So if this helps: think of Leonard and co. in the Marvel universe and Tony and co. in TBBT universe. Okay? So hopefully things aren't too confusing here, the first chapter will be short in size to get adjusted.

**Title:** The Heroic Substitution

**Fandom:** The Avengers (based on TBBT)

**Chapter One – Hit the Jackpot**

Tony Stark had finished his morning routine when he heard the most horrifying noise imaginable. It was the abrasive sound of a moving truck backing up outside. He set down his newspaper and scurried over to the window and drew back the curtain to see his worst fears manifest themselves. "Oh dear." He muttered and brought up his hand to softly massage his goatee. Tony Stark was a theoretical physicist with many degrees, most too lengthy to mention. He had an eidetic memory and a very high IQ which he prided himself upon. "I'm always right and this is no exception." Tony sighed and headed back over to his plush leather black couch and picked up his paper. With the noise outside disturbing him, he found his attempts to read useless and soon set it down. A few moments later his roommate, Bruce, wandered out looking rather tired and displeased by the racket outside. "I believe someone is moving in." Tony informed Bruce with a solemn expression.

"What makes you say that?" He asked.

"Well if my memory serves me right, and it always does," Tony paused. "The woman across the hall died a few weeks ago and her apartment has been cleared out and according to my recently updated records there are no other vacancies and thus my theory is that someone is moving in."

"Why wouldn't someone else be moving out?"

"Because I have this apartment on Google Alert to inform me if anyone is doing such but who would honestly move out of a place like this with the economy the way it is?" Tony remarked and stood up. "I need to make further observations of this person moving in." He said.

"Your alerts don't tell you everything?" Bruce grinned a little. Tony shot his friend a look and the two soon headed downstairs and saw a red haired woman directing the boxes up the stairs. Bruce smiled and nudged his roommate. "She's cute, don't you think?" Bruce asked Tony who just shrugged and strode over to her as she paused to pull her long hair into a ponytail. "Hey there neighbor."

"What? Oh hey there, I'm Pepper Potts." She smiled and held out her hand. Bruce took it and shook it firmly. She then looked to Tony and held out her hand.

"Oh he doesn't like things handed to him, nor does he shake hands." Bruce said.

"Does he speak?" Pepper joked a little, as she was referring to him like a dog.

"Only in long winded speeches." Bruce teased. "I'm Bruce and he's Tony, I think we live across from each other."

"Cool, I should have you guys over sometime for dinner." Pepper suggested to them.

"I don't care much for shellfish." Tony spoke up and pocketed his hands."So if you're having that I'll have to decline the invitation."

"Okay. Well thanks, how about pizza and beer next Friday?" She asked the guys.

"That works." Bruce said and slapped Tony on the back who jumped a little. "So do you need help with anything?"

"No I'm good." Pepper replied and they just excused themselves and headed back up. While on the way up Tony started to confess about feeling weird when he was around Pepper which made him concerned about his health. When Bruce mentioned that maybe Tony was attracted to Pepper, Tony brushed it off and stayed in his room for the duration of the afternoon while Bruce called over his friends: Thor and Steve. Thor was from another country of which no one could really pronounce and Steve lived with his mother. They were nice guys and the group of four often went out together, sometimes even to visit Clint at his comic store. Tony was good looking, perhaps the best looking in the group. But all four men of science had their own charm. Of course they didn't date too much as they made work their number one priority. When Steve and Thor arrived, they sat on the couch and began talking about their hot new neighbor across the hallway. As Bruce was going into Tony's odd behavior there was a tap tap tap on the door. "Hey, uh Bruce? Tony?" Pepper called through the door. Steve looked over and then Bruce slowly got up and headed over to the door, like a lion stalking its prey.

"Hey Pepper. What's up?" Bruce asked as he opened the door.

"Oh you have company? Sorry." Pepper peered in to see a long blond haired man and a short haired man sitting on the couch just staring at them. "I can ask another time."

"No ask away, now is a perfect time, Pepper." Bruce invited.

"I need help setting up my internet. I was never great with it." Pepper smiled weakly.

"Oh we're great with the internet, aren't we guys?" Bruce turned to Steve and Thor who nodded quickly. "Yeah we are, let's go to your place and check it out." Bruce said and Steve and Thor followed him out and into Pepper's apartment. Thor leaned over to Steve and whispered something as Pepper was picking up her red and gold painted laptop.

"What's with him?" She asked Bruce.

"He's Thor, he doesn't talk to women."

"What? How come? Is he okay?"

"No. Don't worry about it." Bruce waved a hand who then got a glare from the golden haired man. "Anyway let me see what you've got." He took her laptop from her and Steve and the others found her router and began tweaking away. Pepper looked around and across the hall at the closed door of the boys. She bit her lip and just looked over at the others who were helping her, asking questions which she didn't really know the answer to. When things were finally set up two girls popper their heads in Pepper's door.

"Hey Pep." A red haired slim woman waved.

"Oh hello Natasha."

"Hi." Peggy waved as well.

"Guys, this is Peggy, she's going to get me a job as a waitress and this is Natasha, she's a science geek, kind of like you guys." Pepper smiled a little. They were old friends of hers and she was super glad to get in touch with them after so long. Natasha and Peggy headed inside to see what was going on. "This is kind of already a party, how about we just order pizza now?"

"I can make a beer run." Steve raised his hand and then looked to Peggy. "Can you keep up?" He smiled at her, she just rolled her eyes and they both headed out leaving Thor and Bruce with Natasha and Pepper.

"This won't be a party unless everyone's here. I'm gonna go invite Tony." Pepper said.

"Oh it would be a better party without him. He gets out of control if he drinks." Bruce spoke up.

"Nonesense, one drink isn't going to hurt anyone!" Pepper waved a hand and hurried over to his door and gave a knock knock knock. "Tony." She then knocked three more times. "Tony." And then another three times followed by a, "Toooony!" Pepper called and soon the door handle jiggled and Tony stuck his head out. "Hey come on, we're gonna have a party at my place." Pepper said.

"What kind of party?" Tony asked.

"A fun one."

"No thanks. I have all the fun I need right here." Tony then showed her his sleek silver laptop with the name: JARVIS spelled out on top of it. "I named him JARVIS. He's my best friend." He told Pepper who just shook her head.

"Come on, Tony, this is what neighbors do."

"I didn't ask for a neighbor." He then was about to close the door when she pulled him out into the hall. "Come on, Tony, live a little."

"Live a little? I'm living a lot, there's no spectrum of living. Either you are or you aren't." Tony said, finding it hard to breathe again with her so close to him. "And I am." He finally choked out. And with that she dragged him into her house with him claiming she was kidnapping him. Bruce had managed to order them one extra large pepperoni pizza and Peggy and Steve returned with two packs of canned beer. As everyone was enjoying themselves, Pepper say Tony sticking to coke and so when he wasn't looking, she slipped him some beer and by the end of the night Tony Stark was flirting with Natasha, Peggy, Pepper and even Bruce and Steve. Bruce and Pepper exchanged looks as Tony nudged himself between them and planted a kiss on both of their cheeks. "You two are the best." Tony grinned.

"Thanks." Pepper laughed.

"I told you not to give him a drink." Bruce shrugged and took his roommate back to their apartment. The party ended up dying down after that. Pepper, Steve and Peggy helped Pepper clean up and by two in the morning, Pepper was sprawled out on her mattress on the floor of her room which had yet to be put together. Some might say the move in party was a failure but to her, it went pretty well. It was around two thirty in the morning when she called it a success because that's when nine drunken knocks woke her up and on the other side of the door was Tony Stark wearing nothing but his black boxers and Iron Man tee shirt. Without even saying a word, he pushed Pepper against her door and kissed her long and hard. Being taken aback, she stumbled and pulled him into her living room. After that, all either could remember were certain feelings. Like the feel of his mouth against her flushed neck. Or the feel of her hair against his hands as he pulled her in close. Or the feel of longing and need which neither had felt had been fulfilled in a long time. The next morning the couple was sleeping on her small mattress with their legs and arms tangled up together. Pepper was woken up by the sound of her alarm. Reaching for her cell phone, she turned it off and looked over to see Tony's ass hanging in the air. She covered him up and got ready for her first day of work, wondering why she had to sleep with her neighbor within only hours of meeting him. Not to mention he was kind of a weirdo. Now what could she do?


End file.
